Bet you never saw that headline coming.
According to a new report out of Macotakara (via 9to5Mac), Apple is expected to further slim down the iPad Pro’s form factor when the next generation of the device is announced. Rumors point to both a 10.5-inch model alongside a 12.9-inch model with thinner bezels, faster specs, and Face ID.
But in this report, things get a bit weird. Macotakara suggests Apple will make the 10.5-inch iPad Pro just 6mm thin, while the larger variant will be 6.4mm thin. Because of this, Apple is said to be eliminating the headphone jack on both devices and will likely push users to adopt wireless audio accessories like AirPods and Beats headphones.
Many will argue getting rid of the headphone jack on a tablet is straight-up wrong. Nowadays, people pretty much use tablets for just watching Netflix and YouTube thanks to their larger screens, and having a headphone jack for private listening is always helpful. Now, though, Apple appears to want to take the next step in eliminating the port altogether by getting rid of it on its professional models. Luckily, as far as I can tell, the 3.5mm jack on the 9.7-inch iPad isn’t going anywhere.
In addition to this, Macotakara suggests Face ID on the new iPads will only work when holding the device in portrait, not landscape. Because of this, the Smart Connector that typically sits on the side of the iPad Pro will reportedly be moved to the bottom with the Lightning connector so you can unlock your device while using something like the Smart Keyboard.
It’s important to note Macotakara isn’t always right so we’ll need to ride this one out to come to any conclusions. For now, Apple’s next-gen iPads are beginning to look more and more interesting.
